Trump women give nod to desi fashion

Ivanka and Melania’s fashion choices caught the eye of the fashion police and the verdict was favourable

The Trump family was in India for a two-day trip recently; this was the US President’s first state visit to India. Donald Trump was here to strengthen the bilateral trade and defence ties between the two countries, and of course, to rekindle his friendship with PM Modi. How sweet!

Only time will tell, how this expensive trip (the suite Trump stayed at cost Rs 8 lakh a night) fares for both the countries.

But what caught our eyes was the on-point fashion statements made by both the Trump ladies.

On day one, when the first lady visited the Taj Mahal with her hubby, she opted for a white jumpsuit in crème crêpe by French-American designer Herve Pierre. Her look was completed with a brocade sash on her waist made of green silk and gold metallic thread. The sash was cut from an early century Indian textile documents, which Herve found in Paris through his friends, who are collectors. The saddle shoulders, with a collared neck, structured her ensemble. Melania left her hair open and opted for a no-makeup look.

Her outfit for the next day, a button-down shirt dress, that she wore on her arrival at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, was soothing on the eyes. The white midi-dress by designer Carolina

Melania Trump wore a
shirt dress on day 2.

Herrera had tiny lotus prints and a red belt — we give her a 10 for getting the spring-summer vibe right. To complete her casual yet formal attire, Melania opted for white-solid pumps and left her hair open yet again. Whether anyone was impressed with the dress or no, BJP supporters were definitely happy seeing the FLOTUS wearing the lotus. Very thoughtful of her, we must say.

Melania repeated designer Carolina Herrera for her third look on the second day, as she and Donaldbhai Trump headed for the Rashtrapati Bhavan dinner hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind and his wife Savita Kovind.

She wore a pink floor length gown with a front-slit. She gave a desi twist to her look with a pair of gold jhumkas from Amrapali Jewels and pink juttis. This look failed to impress us; her attempt to pay tribute to the Indian sartorial staple — the sari — was a disaster. The ensemble was ill-fitted and the colour did not complement her. The exaggerated bow on the gown just made things worse.

Ivanka Trump, however, floored us with her sartorial choices. She arrived at Ahmedabad wearing a powder blue midi-dress with red floral prints by US-based label Proenza Schouler. The dress was made even more special because she was repeating it (she had worn the same dress in Argentina last year) thereby showing her support for sustainable fashion. She added a pair of jhumkas and red stilettos to complete her look.

On day two, on her visit to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Ivanka wore an Anita Dongre ensemble. She chose to wear a sherwani and pants instead of a western pant-suit. The sherwani was made of handwoven silk from Murshidabad. She completed her look with white pumps and a pair of statement earrings, thereby giving us major power-dressing goals.

At the dinner banquet, Ivanka looked ravishing in the Anarkali suit from designer Rohit Bal’s Guldastah collection, which is an ode to Kashmir. The outfit fitted her perfectly; it was also interesting to see how the outfit complemented the venue. It could be an inspiration for wedding outfits in the coming season.

All the six outfits worn by the Trump girls were pleasing to the eye and looked wearable without being excessive.

Special shout-out to Trump for changing his tie colours more often than we usually see. He was seen sporting yellow, baby pink, and blue-striped ties, as well as his staple red tie, throughout the visit.

High profile personalities and sustainable fashion

In a world where celebrities are under constant public scrutiny and all aspects of their lives — from who they meet to what they wear — is a subject of intense discussion, repeating outfits would have been considered a fashion faux pas until a few years ago. Not anymore; more and more A-listers and influential persons are choosing to repeat their outfits at prestigious events to draw the world’s attention to climate change and the disastrous impact of the fashion industry on the world’s natural resources. Here are some who sent out a strong message for sustainability through their sartorial choices.

Kate Middleton

The Duchess of Cambridge has been known to repeat many of her outfits. She recently wore a Alexander McQueen white gown to the BAFTAs that she had previously worn on her trip to Malaysia in 2012.

Meghan Markle

The former actress and member of the British royal family repeated a purple long-sleeved Babaton Maxwell dress and a blue shirt-dress, among the multiple looks she has repeated.

Jane Fonda

The actress wore a sheer sequined figure-hugging Elie Saab ensemble at Oscars 2020, a gown she previously wore at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014. She has vowed never to buy another piece of clothing again.

Joaquin Phoenix

Before winning the Oscar for Best Actor making a speech that broke the Internet, Joaquin Phoenix won hearts when he made a vow to repeat his Stella McCartney tux for every award show for the rest of the year.

Cate Blanchett

At the Cannes 2018 red carpet, Cate wore a sheer black Armani Prive gown, a repeat of her 2014 Golden Globes appearance.

Sara Ali Khan

She is not averse to repeating her outfits. Sara recently wore a red-and-white stripe dress for a promotional event, the same dress she had worn a month ago for promoting ‘Love Aaj Kal’.

Taapsee Pannu

The unconventional actress has been constantly repeating her looks while promoting her upcoming film. She has repeated some elements from her outfits and pairing it with others to create a whole new look.

(Compiled by Rajitha Menon)